Overview
Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este (10 December 1776 – 23 June 1848), was an Electress of Bavaria as the second spouse of Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria.
Early life (1776–1795)
Archduchess Maria Leopoldine Anna Josephine Johanna of Austria-Este was born in Milan on 10 December 1776 as the fourth child and third (but second surviving) daughter of Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este and his wife, Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este. Her father, the second youngest son of Empress Maria Theresa, and her mother were the founders of the House of Habsburg-Este. Although Archduke Ferdinand wasn't as gifted as his eldest brother Joseph II, his rule as Governor General of Lombardy made him extremely popular; he and his wife sought closeness to their subjects and owed their high esteem above all to their social commitment.
Ferdinand Karl and Maria Beatrice were loving parents and concentrated on the education of their children. They tried to raise their sons to high positions and marry their daughters favorably. Above all, Ferdinand's thoughts were marked by his mother's dynastic way of thinking, and so he made early favorable marriage plans for his children. Firstly, he arranged the marriage of his eldest daughter Maria Theresa (named after her grandmother) to Victor Emmanuel, Duke of Aosta, the heir presumptive of King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia, in 1789. Maria Leopoldine was at this time thirteen and had evolved into a fun-loving and pretty girl with a strong Italian temperament. Even then, she openly expressed her opinion and protested loudly against unjust treatment.
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